Durham House (London)
Encyclopedia
Durham House, or Durham Inn, was the historic London residence of the Bishop of Durham in the Strand
, with its gardens descending to the Thames.
built the opulent Durham House circa 1345; it had a large chapel and a high-ceilinged hall supported by marble pillars. On the Strand side its gatehouse led to a large courtyard. The hall and chapel faced the entrance, and private apartments overlooked the river.
Accounts describe Durham House as a noble palace befitting a prince. Henry IV
, his son Henry, Prince of Wales
(later Henry V), and their retinues stayed once at the residence.
relinquished it to Henry the Eighth
, who vowed to give the Bishop Coldharbour and other residences in return but never honoured that promise. Henry in turn granted Durham House to his daughter Elizabeth
for life, or until she was otherwise advanced. Later, Henry's son Edward
confirmed the grant, and thereby deprived Tunstall of his see. However, Mary
relinquished the house from Elizabeth's possession to Tunstall, along with his see, upon her accession, for it had become apparent Tunstall no longer had a London residence.
Mary's predecessor, Lady Jane Grey
, the "Nine Days" Queen of England
, was married at Durham House on May 21 or 25, 1553 to Guilford Dudley.
Upon her accession, Elizabeth seized possession of Durham House again, and deprived Tunstall of his see; she kept possession of the residence until 1583, when she granted it to Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh spent £2000 on repairs and lived there until Elizabeth's death. John Aubrey
said that he well remembered the room which Raleigh used as his study; it was in a little turret that looked over the Thames and had a view of Westminster, Whitehall Palace, and the Surrey hills.
It was in Durham House that Raleigh hosted Manteo
and Wanchese
, the first Native American Algonquin Indians to travel to England from the New World. In 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh had dispatched the first of a number of expeditions to Roanoke island to explore and eventually settle the new land of Virginia. Early encounters with the natives were friendly, and, despite the difficulties in communication, the explorers were able to persuade "two of the savages, being lustie men, whose names were Wanchese and Manteo" to accompany them on the return voyage to London,
Once safely delivered to England, the two Indians quickly made a sensation at court. Raleigh's priority however was not publicity but rather intelligence about his new land of Virginia, and he restricted access to the exotic newcomers, assigning the brilliant scientist Thomas Harriot
with the job of deciphering and learning the Carolina Algonquian language
. , using a phonetic alphabet
of his own invention in order to effect the translation.
Upon Elizabeth's death and Raleigh's resulting loss of influence at court, Tobias Matthew
, then bishop of Durham, reclaimed Durham House for the see of the Privy Council
. The new king, James I, approved the move.
, William Laud
and other high church Anglicans.
The best portion of the house was tenanted by Lord Keeper Coventry
, who died there in 1640. What remained of the house was subsequently obtained by Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke
. He rented it from the see for £200 per year and intended to build a fine house on the site, but never did. Instead, he made Durham Street, which ran through the old remains down to the river and whose upper portion at the Strand end still exists. It is a short, steep street that descends under the Society of Arts and disappears in the gloom of the dark arches of the Adelphi.
The last portion of the ruins was cleared away early in the reign of George III, when the brothers Robert Adam
and James Adam built the Adelphi Buildings
, raising the whole level on lofty arches.
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
, with its gardens descending to the Thames.
Origins
Bishop Thomas HatfieldThomas Hatfield
Thomas Hatfield was Bishop of Durham from 1345 to 1381.Hatfield was receiver of the chamber when he was selected to be Lord Privy Seal in late 1344. He relinquished that office to his successor in July of 1345....
built the opulent Durham House circa 1345; it had a large chapel and a high-ceilinged hall supported by marble pillars. On the Strand side its gatehouse led to a large courtyard. The hall and chapel faced the entrance, and private apartments overlooked the river.
Accounts describe Durham House as a noble palace befitting a prince. Henry IV
Henry IV of England
Henry IV was King of England and Lord of Ireland . He was the ninth King of England of the House of Plantagenet and also asserted his grandfather's claim to the title King of France. He was born at Bolingbroke Castle in Lincolnshire, hence his other name, Henry Bolingbroke...
, his son Henry, Prince of Wales
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
(later Henry V), and their retinues stayed once at the residence.
Tudor and Jacobean era
Durham House remained an episcopal palace until Bishop Cuthbert TunstallCuthbert Tunstall
Cuthbert Tunstall was an English Scholastic, church leader, diplomat, administrator and royal adviser...
relinquished it to Henry the Eighth
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, who vowed to give the Bishop Coldharbour and other residences in return but never honoured that promise. Henry in turn granted Durham House to his daughter Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
for life, or until she was otherwise advanced. Later, Henry's son Edward
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
confirmed the grant, and thereby deprived Tunstall of his see. However, Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
relinquished the house from Elizabeth's possession to Tunstall, along with his see, upon her accession, for it had become apparent Tunstall no longer had a London residence.
Mary's predecessor, Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey
Lady Jane Grey , also known as The Nine Days' Queen, was an English noblewoman who was de facto monarch of England from 10 July until 19 July 1553 and was subsequently executed...
, the "Nine Days" Queen of England
Queen regnant
A queen regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right, in contrast to a queen consort, who is the wife of a reigning king. An empress regnant is a female monarch who reigns in her own right over an empire....
, was married at Durham House on May 21 or 25, 1553 to Guilford Dudley.
Upon her accession, Elizabeth seized possession of Durham House again, and deprived Tunstall of his see; she kept possession of the residence until 1583, when she granted it to Sir Walter Raleigh. Raleigh spent £2000 on repairs and lived there until Elizabeth's death. John Aubrey
John Aubrey
John Aubrey FRS, was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the collection of short biographical pieces usually referred to as Brief Lives...
said that he well remembered the room which Raleigh used as his study; it was in a little turret that looked over the Thames and had a view of Westminster, Whitehall Palace, and the Surrey hills.
It was in Durham House that Raleigh hosted Manteo
Manteo (Croatan)
Manteo was a Native American Croatan Indian, the chief of a local tribe that befriended the English explorers that landed at Roanoke Island in 1584. In 1585 the English returned to Roanoke, arriving too late in the year to plant crops and harvest food, and Manteo helped the colonists to make it...
and Wanchese
Wanchese (chief)
Wanchese was the last known ruler of the Roanoke Native American tribe encountered by English colonists in the late sixteenth century. Along with Chief Manteo he travelled to London in 1584, where the two men created a sensation at court...
, the first Native American Algonquin Indians to travel to England from the New World. In 1584 Sir Walter Raleigh had dispatched the first of a number of expeditions to Roanoke island to explore and eventually settle the new land of Virginia. Early encounters with the natives were friendly, and, despite the difficulties in communication, the explorers were able to persuade "two of the savages, being lustie men, whose names were Wanchese and Manteo" to accompany them on the return voyage to London,
Once safely delivered to England, the two Indians quickly made a sensation at court. Raleigh's priority however was not publicity but rather intelligence about his new land of Virginia, and he restricted access to the exotic newcomers, assigning the brilliant scientist Thomas Harriot
Thomas Harriot
Thomas Harriot was an English astronomer, mathematician, ethnographer, and translator. Some sources give his surname as Harriott or Hariot or Heriot. He is sometimes credited with the introduction of the potato to Great Britain and Ireland...
with the job of deciphering and learning the Carolina Algonquian language
Carolina Algonquian language
Carolina Algonquian is an extinct Algonquian language of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup formerly spoken in North Carolina, United States....
. , using a phonetic alphabet
Phonetic alphabet
Phonetic alphabet can mean:* phonetic transcription system: a system for transcribing the precise sounds of human speech into writing.** International Phonetic Alphabet : the most widespread such system...
of his own invention in order to effect the translation.
Upon Elizabeth's death and Raleigh's resulting loss of influence at court, Tobias Matthew
Tobias Matthew
Tobias Matthew was Archbishop of York.-Life:He was the son of Sir John Matthew of Ross in Herefordshire, England, and of his wife Eleanor Crofton of Ludlow. He was born at Bristol and was educated at Wells, Somerset, and then in succession at University College and Christ Church, Oxford...
, then bishop of Durham, reclaimed Durham House for the see of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
. The new king, James I, approved the move.
Decline
Neither Matthew nor any of his successors resided in Durham House, and it became dilapidated as a result. The stables were demolished for construction of the New Exchange, a market which was occupied by milliners and sempstresses in shops along upper and lower tiers on each side of a central alley. However, in the 1630s it was the setting for the Durham House Group, including Richard NeileRichard Neile
Richard Neile was an English churchman, bishop of several English dioceses and Archbishop of York from 1631 until his death.-Early life:...
, William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
and other high church Anglicans.
The best portion of the house was tenanted by Lord Keeper Coventry
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry
Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry was a prominent English lawyer, politician and judge during the early 17th century.-Education and early legal career:...
, who died there in 1640. What remained of the house was subsequently obtained by Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke
Philip Herbert, 5th Earl of Pembroke, 2nd Earl of Montgomery , succeeded to the titles in 1649 on the death of his father, also called Philip Herbert....
. He rented it from the see for £200 per year and intended to build a fine house on the site, but never did. Instead, he made Durham Street, which ran through the old remains down to the river and whose upper portion at the Strand end still exists. It is a short, steep street that descends under the Society of Arts and disappears in the gloom of the dark arches of the Adelphi.
The last portion of the ruins was cleared away early in the reign of George III, when the brothers Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
and James Adam built the Adelphi Buildings
Adelphi, London
Adelphi is a district of London, England in the City of Westminster. The small district includes the streets of Adelphi Terrace, Robert Street and John Adam Street.-Adelphi Buildings:...
, raising the whole level on lofty arches.